Opportunities From: United Way of King County

Overview

Our mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. Pongo Poetry Mentors volunteer their time to work with youth in writing heartfelt, personal poetry. As a Pongo mentor, you will help youth write about their difficult experiences; and you will experience writing that is sometimes sad, but also a source of excitement, pride, and healing for the youth. Our volunteers find the work touching, enlightening, and enlivening — and a benefit to their careers in counseling, teaching, and community service. Empowered by their time with us, Pongo volunteers have gone on to start their own poetry projects.

As a Pongo Poetry Mentor, you will be trained in Pongo’s techniques for teaching poetry writing to distressed teens in service of inspiring their healing and growth. You will be well supported and work with a close-knit, collaborative team of 3 to 4 others under the direction of an experienced Pongo Project Leader.

Commitment Mentor poetry with youth at one of our project sites, once per week, for 3 hours, from mid-September through June. Join Pongo programming on time. Remain with the program until the close of the program year. Homework assignments, including writing your own poetry, and participating in ongoing skills development What is Pongo Looking for in a Mentor? Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) candidates are highly encouraged to apply. We are looking for people who are reflective, open, honest, and can bring the love! A clear understanding of personal boundaries and an ability to adapt to the guidelines of the institutions and organizations with which Pongo works. Ideal candidates write poetry (personally or professionally), have previous experience working with young people, have teaching or counseling experience, and/or have personal or professional experience in supporting individuals affected by trauma. Diversity

Because a large percentage of youth we write with are BIPOC, Pongo seeks to have a diverse team of Poetry Mentors. We know from experience that BIPOC youth are excited to see Poetry Mentors who look like them. For a powerful example, listen to Amani Carithers share her experience of volunteering with Pongo at our King County Juvenile Detention project site.

A Typical Day for Pongo Poetry Mentors

While Pongo poetry sites meet at different times, each weekly session is around 3 hours and consists of the following:

Ongoing Poetry Mentor Training and Collaboration (45-60 minutes):

Mentors check-in, create writing activities, review/hone Pongo techniques, and share personal poems and relevant published pieces.

Facilitating Poetry with Youth (50-90 minutes):

Sessions begin with a warm up writing exercise in the form of a group poem. Then mentors are paired with youth, one-on-one, to create personal poetry. Teens may change from week to week, depending on the poetry site.

Debrief with Poetry Mentors (15-30 minutes):

Mentors check-in, type up and send copies of youth poems, and receive poetry writing prompts or activity creation assignments as “homework.”

Selection Process

Pongo operates its projects in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Typically, mentor teams are formed in August, orientations occur in September, and projects run from September to June. However, volunteers are encouraged to apply year around in case positions open up. To apply:

Review volunteer expectations above. Click the "respond" button on this post. Email your resume, a writing sample (preferably poetry), and three references (including their contact information) to Ashley - Pongo's Co-Executive Director, Programs - at ashley@pongopoetryproject.org. In your email message, please include the following: Tell us why you’re interested in Pongo and our mission. Share your schedule availability. Identify how you will contribute to the Racial Justice component of our work. Ask any questions you might have.

If invited into the interview process after we’ve reviewed your documents, you can expect one interview with Ashley. In addition, Pongo’s poetry mentorship sites require background checks of all outside visitors. If selected, prospective mentors must be willing to complete a background check before working with youth.

If you are interested in this work, but not available to volunteer with Pongo right now please click the "Respond" button and then send us an email explaining your future interest. We will put you on our email list and follow up regarding future involvement.

Purpose

The purpose of Pongo Poetry Project’s Fund Development & Event Committee is to provide support and oversight of the organization’s fundraising strategy, initiatives, and annual flagship fundraising event. Committee members will work with Pongo’s Development Manager to establish and maintain a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization. Furthermore, committee members will support the development and execution of Pongo’s annual fall fundraising event. 

Fund Development Responsibilities

To fulfill the Fund Development goals outlined above, the Committee will:

Review and offer input on Pongo’s annual fundraising plan, and specific development initiatives to ensure that they meet the organization’s revenue needs Support Pongo’s high priority fundraising objectives, specifically the cultivation of major individual donors and corporate sources of support Engage in donor stewardship activities. Examples include: Join donor meetings Donor gratitude calls Serve as Pongo’s fundraising “cheerleaders” by supporting individual board members in meeting their personal fundraising goals. Examples include: Co-host private donor stewardship events Partner with fellow board members on donor gratitude calls Monitor fundraising efforts to ensure they are carried out in a manner consistent with Pongo’s mission, values and racial equity and social justice vision.

Event Responsibilities

To fulfill the Event goals outlined above, committee members will:

Participate in the development and implementation of the event work plan Provide input and serve in an advisory capacity to guide the committee Review and offer feedback on event materials (i.e., fundraising materials, media/external communications, program content, etc.) Serve as internal/external ambassadors for Pongo’s event related work (i.e., supporting event outreach efforts, encouraging board member participation, etc.)

Time Commitment

Volunteer 1-2 hours per month to Fund Development & Event Committee, according to the following breakdown: Monthly Committee Check-In (1 hour) Committee work, according to personal schedule (1 hour)